Metal-forming machine



A. JLLEWIS METAL FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB, 9, 1921.

1,417,397. Patented May23, 1922.

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T im w "llll I AT"FORNEY -A. J. LEWIS.

METAL FORMINGMACHINE. APPLICATION man FEB. 9. 1921.

rammed ma 23, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE.

CONNECTICUT.

ECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE IBAIRD CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OFMETAL-FORMING MACEINE.

Application filed February 5 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stratford, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Metal-Forming Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to forming machines and more particularly to wireform ing machines adapted to form a blankinto relatively small articlesor articles having a narrow bend, and the object thereof is to provide anovel mechanism for guiding the wire into operative position adjacentthe form and forming mechanism before cutting the blank therefrom. Thedevice herein shown is in some respects similar to that illustrated inmy Patent #992,890, granted May 23, 1911, and is in the nature of animprovement on said device.

The device illustrated in my said patent comprises a number of slidingmembers having formingtools on their contiguous ends, means to move theslides inwardly to successively form the sides of the blank around aform, whichform. is pivotally supported and is adapted to swing towardthe uncut wire and to hold the wire against the face of one of theforming tools during the time the blank is being out, after which theblank is carried into operative position by the advance of said formingtool, the form being held against the face of the tool and retain ingthe blank therebetween.

This invention has for its object to provide a cutting off mechanism forwire forming machines, which allows the material to be fed directly tothe form, and which shall be specially adapted for use in the formingvof small articles, or articles having a narrow bend. In machines of thischaracter, as heretofore constructed, it has been the practice toaccomplish the desired result by 'pro viding the machine with a swingingor sliding form. In my present invention I provide a stationary form,which avoids the objection of lack of rigidity and enables me to greatlysimplify the construction of the machine. I accomplish the desiredresult by providing the cut off bracket, so called, with a recess, whichreceives the quill or wire guide, which is retained in the recess bymeans of a clamp attached to the bracket. As heretofore constructed ithas been the practice to provide the cut off bracket with Specification01 Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1922. Serial No, 443,603.

a hole, in which the quill was seated and retained in place by a setscrew. It is, of course, "necessary that the wire lie in contact withthe form when the blank is cut off. In the old construction this wasimpossible with a stationary form for the reason that the tool carriedby the'second slide (or one of them) would come in contact with the cutoff bracket on its return movement. In other words, it is required thatthe front of the form be in alineinent with the quill so that the wire,when fed forward, will lie in contact with the form, and it is desirablethat the form should be stationary for the reasons stated above.

My present invention provides a structure using a stationary form and abracket for retaining the quill, which is so constructed that there isno interference with the return movement of the tool carried by thesecond slide, or the slide contiguous to the quill where two slides actsimultaneously, as shown in the present machine.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel structurewhich I will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, and using reference characters toindicate the several parts,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the forming mechanism of a wire formingmachine embodying my invention, showing the form in section;

2, a similar view showing the forming tools at the completion of theforming ope! ation, the front ends being shown in section;

Fig. 3, view partially in. section taken on line in I 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows, I

,Fig. 1-, a view taken on line l-t in Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the front end of the cutoffbracket.

10 denotes the bed plate of a wire formi g machine, commonly known tothe trade as a four slide machine, in the surface of which are mountedfor reciprocation, a number of slides 11, 12, 13 and 1 1, which aremovablein suit-able guideways in the bed plate. On the inner ends ofthese slides are fixed the forming tools 15, 16, 17 and 18, which toolsare shaped so as to cooperate in the bending of a blank into the propershape. Located between theinnen ends of the forming tools is a form 19which is stationarily mounted on the machine in any suitable manner (notshown). The slides may be actuated from a plurality of cams, such asillustrated in my Patent #992,890, and in this selected embodiment areintended to operate in the following manner. The slide 11 moves forwardfirst, the tool 15 engaging the blank 20, which has been severed from astrip of material and is held ad acent the form 19 as will behereinafter more fully described, and bending it around two sides of theform into a U-shaped piece. Shdes 12 and 14 are then actuated, the tools16 and 18 folding the ends of the blank around the form 19, andsubsequently the slide 13 is moved forward, the tool 17 forcing the endsof the blank in abutment, thus com; pleting the forming operation. Theslides are then retracted and the articles stripped from the form in anydesired manner.

It will be noted that in the forming of small articles or articleshaving a narrow bend, the forming tool 18 is moved in a line parallelwith the line of movement of the material being acted upon, which wouldbe impossible with a stationary form as machines of this class haveheretofore been constructed.

It has been found more practicable, and also to greatly increaseproduction, to use a stationary form and to feed the material directlyto the point of operation, i. e., adjacent the form, and to then sever ablank from the material, the tool 15 moving for ward simultaneously withthe cutter and serving to retain the blank against the form. Thematerial, in the present instance a length of wire indicated by 31, isguided to the form 19 by a quill 21, through which the wire passes, thequill being located adjacent the form so that the aperture in the quillwill be in alinement with one side of the form. HGIBtO'fOIG, in machinesadapted to form, relatively small articles having a narrow bend, it hasbeen found impracticable to mount the quill in proximity to a stationaryform owing to the fact that'the line of movement of tool 18 is parallelto the quill and in close proximity thereto. This invention provides asimple and durable means for mounting the quill so that the wire may befed directly to the point of.

operation before the cutting off of the blank.

Mounted on the bed plate of the machine is a cut-off bracket 22 having aslide 23 re ci rocable therein, the movement of said slide beingcontrolled by a revoluble cam 24 in engagement with a roller 25 carriedby the slide and by a spring 26 which keeps the slide normally withdrawnand the roller in contact with the cam. Secured to the slide is a cutter32 used in severing the blanks from a length of wire. The cut-offbracket lies close to slide 14, and is beveled off, as at 27, to provideclearance for forming tool 18 when retracted, and a semi-circular recess28 is provided which receives the quill. Secured to the face of thecut-off bracket is a clamping member 29, which is held thereon by a bolt30, and overlies the quill, rigidly holding the quill in the recess andproviding a substantial backing to hold the quill against the thrust ofthe cutter. It will be noted that this construction holds the quillrigidly, and at the same time leaves ample space for forming tool 18,the line of movement of the cutter being at an angle to the line ofpressure of the clamping member, and the side of the quill opposite tothe cutter being exposed. The clamping member is provided with a tongue33, which is received in a groove 34; formed in the face of the bracketto prevent the clamping member from becoming dislocated and sliding intothe path of forming tool 18. The cutter 32 slides across the end of thequill and cuts a blank from the wire strip fed through the quill, theedge of the bore of the quill aiding the cutter in the cuttingoperation. It will be seen, therefore, on account of the pressureexerted on the quill, that it is necessary to provide a sufficientbacking for the quiil to produce a construction which will be durable.

In operation, a predetermined length of wire is fed through the quilleither by hand or by a suitable mechanism, like that shown in my saidpatent referred to, the wire being positioned along one side of theform. Tool 15 is moved forward simultaneously with the advance of thecutter a suflicient distance to hold the wire against the form, theseveral parts being then in the position shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. The cutter is then further operated to sever the blank andthen the various forming tools are actuated to form the blank in themanner hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form,reciprocating forming tools adapted to co-act therewith, a cut-offbracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, and means forretaining the quill in place, said means leaving one side of the quillunobstructed.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, acut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, meansfor retaining the quill in place, and reciprocating forming tools, oneof said tools lying in close proximity to-the quill and moving in thegeneral direction of the line of feed, and the cutoff bracket andretaining means being shaped to leave one side of the quill unobstructedto provide clearance for said tool and permit use of a stationary formin making close bends.

3. In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a stationary form, reciprocating forming tools, areciprocating cutter, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seatedin said recess, one of said tools lying contiguous to and parallel withthe quill, and means for retaining the quill in place, acting at anangle to the line of movement of the cutter.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form,reciprocating forming tools, a cut-0H bracket having a recess, a quillseated in the recess, said quill lying contiguous to one of said toolsand in alinement with one side of the form, and a clamping membersecured to the bracket and adapted to hold the quill in the recess withthe side adjacent the tool unobstructed.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of aplurality of reciprocating forming tools, a form, a cut-off bracketcontiguous to one of said tools, the side of the bracket toward saidtool being provided with a recess, a quill in said recess, a clampingmember secured to the bracket, said memher being adapted to bear againstthe quill and retain it in place leaving a side toward the toolunobstructed, and means for severing a blank from a strip of materialwhen fed to the form through the quill.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of aplurality of reciprocating forming tools, a form, a cut-ofi' bracketcontiguous to one of said tools, the side of the bracket toward saidtool being shaped to provide clearance for the tool, a quill recessed insaid bracket, said quill being adapted to guide a strip of materialparallel to one side of the form, a clamping member secured to saidbracket, said member bearing on said quill and retaining it in placewith an unobstructed side toward the tool, and means for severing ablank from the material.

7 In a machine of the character described, the combination of astationary form, reciprocating forming tools, a cut-oil bracket having arecess and a groove, a quill seated in said recess, a clamping memberhaving a tongue engaging the groove and bearing on the uill, and a boltpassing through said mem er and engaging the bracket.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form, acut-off bracket having a recess, a quill seated in said recess, meansfor retaining the quill in place and leaving one side thereofunobstructed, and a plurality of reciprocating forming tools, one ofsaid tools lying parallel with and in close proximity to theunobstructed side of the quill.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of astationary form, a cutoff bracket, a quill, a plurality of formingtools, one of said tools lying parallel with and in close proximity tothe quill, and means for securing the quill to the bracket, no portionof said bracket or securing means lying between the quill and said tool.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form,a cut-off bracket, a quill, a plurality of forming tools, one of saidtools reciprocating in close proximity to the uill, and means forsecuring the quill to the racket, said means leaving a clear spacebetween the quill and said tool.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a form,a reciprocating cutter, a cut-off bracket having a recess, a quillseated in said recess, and means for securing the quill in said recess,said means leaving the quill exposed and unobstructed on the sideopposite the cutter.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ARTHUR J. LEWIS.

